Catholic Relief Services was founded in 1943 by the Catholic Bishops of the United States to serve World War II survivors in Europe. Since then, we have expanded in size to reach more than 80 million people in more than 100 countries on five continents.

The fundamental motivating force in all activities of CRS is the Gospel of Jesus Christ as it pertains to the alleviation of human suffering, the development of people and the fostering of charity and justice. We are committed to a set of Guiding Principles and hold ourselves accountable to each other for them.

As the official international relief and development agency of the U.S. Catholic community, CRS is administered by a board of bishops selected by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and is staffed by men and women committed to the Catholic church''''s apostolate of helping those in need.

CRS maintains strict standards of efficiency, accountability and transparency. Last year, more than 94 percent of revenues we spent went directly to programs that benefit the poor overseas.